In an appalling act of absurdity, The UN Economic and Social Council voted days ago to award Saudi Arabia a four-year term on the Commission on the Status of Women. beginning in 2018

“Electing Saudi Arabia to protect women’s rights is like making an arsonist into the town fire chief,” said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch. “It’s absurd.”

“Every Saudi woman,” said Neuer, “must have a male guardian who makes all critical decisions on her behalf, controlling a woman’s life from her birth until death. Saudi Arabia also bans women from driving cars.”

“I wish I could find the words to express how I feel right know. I’m ‘saudi’ and this feels like betrayal,” tweeted a self-described Saudi woman pursuing a doctorate in international human rights law in Australia.

Saudi Arabia was elected by a secret ballot last week of the U.N.’s 54-nation Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Usually ECOSOC rubber-stamps nominations arranged behind closed doors by regional groups, however this time the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley U.S. forced an election, to China’s chagrin.

The former governor of South Carolina is making a name for herself in New York and beyond, with her willingness to speak clearly. On Monday Ambassador Haley brings the entire UN Security Council to Washington for a series of first-ever meetings with key US officials including President Trump.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley is serving this month as the President of the Security Council, a role that rotates each month among the five Permanent members: the U.S., Great Britain, France, China and Russia. There are 15 members of the group — but the others, right now including Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Bolivia, Ethiopia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay are non-voting members.

Madonna Says 'Dress Up! Speak Up!' In Luigi & Iango Images For Harper's Bazaar Germany April 2017 (Fashion & Style Editorial)

It's almost 26 years since Madonna released 'Truth or Dare', the pop icon & feminist celebrated International Women's Day with the release of a 12-minute short film 'Her-Story', dedicated "to all women that fight for freedom".

Directed by Luigi & Iango, who lensed her Harper's Bazaar Germany April editorial above, 'Her-Story' opens with audio lifted from Madonna's January 21 Women's March address. “To accept this new age of tyranny where not just women are in danger, but all marginalized people,” Madonna says. “Where being uniquely different might truly be considered a crime. The revolution starts here.”

Short clips of Madonna’s 2012 single “Girl Gone Wild” also play throughout 'Her-Story', which ends as two figures carry a banner reading “We should all be feminists” down a dark alleyway. Madonna’s handwriting ends the film, scrawling the famous Hillary Clinton quote “women’s rights are human rights” in white text.

“Every Woman Has A Story! Don’t be Afraid to Use your Voice! To Help others! celebrate Women around the World!” Madonna wrote on Instagram, where she shared several of 'Her-Story‘s' individual segments.

A Rockin' New Mom Of Twin Daughters

Madonna kept a low profile during her January 2017 trip to Malawi, where she aggressively put down rumors that she was adopting more children. Indeed, she was in the country to adopt 4-year-old twin girls.

Their mother died of complications in birth, delivering the twins in a Caesarean section. As is so common in Africa, the father -- who attended the Jan. 25 court hearing attended by Madonna -- had five other children from his first marriage. After remarrying, he said he simply cannot provide for his dependents.

Judge Fiona Mwale, said she didn't challenge Madonna, 58, on Malawi's residency requirements for adoption, saying the country's Supreme Court of Appeal had addressed the issue in the pop star's previous adoption of two other Malawi children.

"In determining her motives, I questioned the petitioner at length about the impact of her decision which could be construed as robbing Malawi of its most precious resource, its children," the judge wrote.

Madonna said her daughters will keep their birth names of Esther and Stella to preserve their identity as Malawians, and a Malawian nanny will travel with the children to the United States to ease their transition, according to the ruling. Her son David Banda and daughter Mercy James are now 11.

Mwale noted that the pop star has raised $7.5 million for her latest project in Malawi, the construction of a pediatric surgery ward at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre. The ward is scheduled to open early next year, writes Billboard.